Chapter 81 Guide 9
Meanwhile, other battlefields also saw small-scale victories. The high command at the outpost saw that the new recruits had just arrived, so they decided to hold a celebration banquet. This was both a reward and encouragement for the soldiers, and also to let them rest for a few days. Otherwise, if they continued to use them at such a high level, something bad would happen sooner or later.
Internal unrest has occurred along the border before.
As soon as Lu Xuejin arrived, she was surrounded by the other guides. They had just returned to their posts when they heard about Commander Lu's achievements. One of the guides, who was Lu Xuejin's senior, shook his head in disapproval and said, "Xiao Jin, you should put yourself first. You're constantly overdrawing your mental energy. You may not see the problem now, but what about later?"
The senior was a taciturn person, but she became somewhat agitated when this issue was brought up. She was only twenty-five or twenty-six years old, in the prime of her life, yet several of her peers were trapped in a trance-like state from which they could not return. After falling into a trance, they either fell into a deep sleep and never woke up, or their visions collapsed and they became useless.
Lu Xuejin was her favorite junior, and she really didn't want to see the child suffer.
"I know, senior," Lu Xuejin replied obediently. "I won't force myself. I'm only doing what I can."
The senior colleague said irritably, "You'll listen, but you won't change, huh?"
Lu Xuejin smiled but remained silent.
The other guides waited until they finished speaking before enthusiastically joining in.
"Senior, how exactly do you make your psychosynapses so responsive to your every command? I've practiced for so long, but they still won't obey."
"Commander, I heard you gave some guidance to several reserve soldiers. What's the personality of the new sentry like?"
"Senior, Ta said he wants to transfer me. Could you give me some advice on which war zone would be better for me? I feel that I am not in good condition right now and I am very tired."
Lu Xuejin frowned, observing the other person's complexion, which was indeed very pale. He said softly, "Would you mind if I went inside to check on him now?"
Guides are not only for relieving the pressure on sentinels. Guides themselves, as well as ordinary people, can also develop problems under prolonged pressure and overexertion. However, most of the precious relieving slots are used for sentinels. This is partly for efficient use of resources, and partly because guides generally value their mental well-being and rarely allow outsiders to enter, not even their own kind.
This wasn't the first time Lu Xuejin had counseled a guide. On the southeastern border, both sentries and guides who spent long periods surrounded by corpses often became extreme in temperament and behaved strangely. When there were no battles requiring his supervision, his job was to cleanse the soldiers of their mental impurities.
The mental synapses gently flowed across the mental barrier, like a gentle stream washing away the impurities in the guide's vision. The guide blinked nervously and didn't react for a long time after the guidance was finished, until his companion called him and he slowly turned around.
So this is how seniors provide psychological counseling... I really envy those serial killers.
It was called a victory celebration, but it was really just a space set aside for people to socialize and have fun. The tea breaks were monotonous—the mess hall tried to vary the dishes, making the pastries smooth and the ribs crispy, but the taste was so bland that they were inedible. The food specifically for the guides tasted normal, but the sentries couldn't eat it. The entertainment was also monotonous. A few old-fashioned game consoles looted from an extremist group's base were placed in the open space, but apart from a few young sentries, no one was interested in them.
Therefore, one can only muster one's energy to socialize, and it is only in such occasions that one can see high-ranking officials and superiors.
Lu Xuejin was discussing the arrangements for the sentry post in a low voice with a senior officer when she overheard several squad leaders talking about the new recruits not far away, including Curly Hair.
"One of them was one of Lao Juan's men. I think his surname was Wan? Goodness, I didn't realize he was such a killer. There were two scouts who had just reached the edge of the area when that kid spotted them, rushed over, and stabbed each of them. He was incredibly fierce."
Curly-haired man said smugly, "His name is Wan Hong, and he's incredibly well-mannered. During the fight with Xin Fei, everyone else was either unconscious or lying down, but he looked like nothing had happened."
"These kinds of soldiers are better. They dare to kill and aren't cowards. What are the others like? Last time, there was one who wet his pants after seeing a dead body. I really doubt if he was a sentry or just an ordinary person who snuck in. How could someone like that pass the test? Assigning him to us is just asking for his death, isn't it? Old Juan, your men are the best. You can assign him to me from now on. At least he's an A."
During the observation period, the instructor could not see the preparatory class's file and had no way of knowing the sentry's rank. Based on his experience, Curly guessed, "I think it should be an S."
"S, S is good!" There's no shortage of S-rank among the Sentinels, but S-rank is always better than A-rank.
At this point, someone interjected: "But he has a problematic background; he comes from a contaminated area."
Curly-haired, stunned man: "No, Old Chen, I don't even know where he came from. Where did you hear that from?"
Old Chen rolled his eyes: "It's all because of those few little bastards under my command. They're so gossipy, always talking about gossip. They said that when Wan Hong was rescued from the contaminated area, all his other companions died, and he was the only one who survived without suffering any torture—how come he's the only one who's alright? And his mental form and visions also seem to be abnormal."
“No wonder others isolate him; I always see him alone,” Curly suddenly realized.
"That is indeed a bit...something that should make us wary."
Curly waved his hand: "Hey, people have to go through disinfection and inspection after leaving the contaminated area. The tower didn't say anything, which means there's nothing wrong with the person. They're just a little special, but so what? Sentinels aren't afraid of being special. I think those kids are just bored."
"Old Juan, this is your personality." Old Chen gave a thumbs up, "Completely unlike a sentry."
I don't know if it's praise or criticism.
Then he glanced at the corner: "He's all alone there, Old Juan, shouldn't you offer some comfort to your subordinate?"
"He's no one's subordinate."
Lu Xuejin then looked towards the corner. Although the sentries were naturally averse to men, they had several years of friendship as a foundation, and together they had complained about their instructors and made fools of themselves on the battlefield. The new recruits had already started to form groups of three or five, making Wan Hong, who was alone, particularly conspicuous. He sat alone in the shadows, chewing on a piece of bread.
The sentry behind the high-ranking officer noticed Lu Xuejin's gaze and smiled strangely: "Commander Lu is very caring towards these new recruits."
The sentry had a conspicuous, gruesome scar on his throat, which made his voice extremely hoarse and grating. His cloudy, grayish-green pupils held a predatory excitement, and the corners of his mouth habitually turned down, forming a scathing arc. He unconsciously and nervously cracked his knuckles repeatedly, making a soft "click" sound.
Upon hearing this, Lu Xue, for the first time, gave her colleague a cold look and said pointedly, "Not as good as Commander Chu in 'caring for' his subordinates."
Chu Jianfeng chuckled.
A higher-up stepped in to smooth things over: "Alright, alright, you two are always arguing when you're together. Chu Jianfeng, go stay over there."
After exchanging a few words about the arrangements, Lu Xuejin stood there for a while. Many people watched, eager to make a move, but before anyone could muster the courage to step forward, the guide suddenly turned and walked towards a corner.
Wan Hong looked up at the sound and met the guide's clear and gentle eyes.
The commander, who was always surrounded by people, left his followers behind and frowned with some trouble: "There are too many people over there. Do you mind if I sit here for a while?"
Wan Hong shook his head.
Lu Xuejin sat down beside him, and Wan Hong's nose twitched as his sensitive sense of smell instantly caught a whiff of clean soap. But most of the scent remained buried deep within his glands, cleverly sealed off by the guide.
He suddenly tore into the bread, trying to suppress the itch that was stirring in his throat.
"Did you just have a drink?" The guide's voice gently tickled my ear.
"Hmm." Wan Hong raised his hand, pretending to fix his hair, and secretly sniffed his cuff. There was a smell of wine, but it wasn't strong or smelly. It was a light fruity aroma, not unpleasant, even though the wine itself didn't taste very good. "I've had a few drinks."
"How does it taste?"
"……fine."
"Not bad... just so-so?" The guide chuckled softly. "The food here is really not good. I prepared a dish specifically for you before, and the taste was indescribable. No wonder they ate it with blank expressions."
Wan Hongping couldn't help but curl his straight lips into a smile: "The food at the border is already quite good, Commander. If it were back home, you wouldn't even be able to eat it."
Lu Xuejin raised an eyebrow: "For example?"
“Take bread, for example.” The sentry tossed a slice of bread. This was also hard to eat, but at least it was soft. “It would be shriveled, blackened, and riddled with holes, with maggots going in and out of it.”
As he spoke, Wan Hong observed the guide's expression, hoping to see the commander's reaction when he was disgusted. However, Lu Xuejin remained unfazed and humorously remarked, "It's alright, eating bread and getting protein at the same time is a good deal."
[Dedication Points +1]
Wow, that's kind of cute.
And fearing he might feel isolated and uncomfortable, they specially came over to chat with him... Are border commanders really this kind?
Wan Hong had no idea that some of the sentry post commanders were notorious. Forget about showing such tender care for their subordinates; asking them to reduce the mortality rate of their soldiers was simply a pipe dream.
[Dedication Points +1]
Dong Yao: [The male lead remains silent, only adding +1. There are too many, baby, I'm just blocking you and not notifying you anymore.]
A gentle yet powerful guide is always lovable; Wan Hong couldn't imagine anyone in the world who would be so ungrateful as to hate Lu Xuejin.
The conversation ranged from maggot-infested dry bread to all sorts of bizarre foods. Eventually, Wan Hong couldn't find any other food to joke about. The remaining items, such as dirt, plastic bags, human/flesh, and eyeballs, were things he had never eaten and didn't want to use to disgust Lu Xuejin.
Perhaps it's a stereotype, but he thinks Lu Xuejin should be cherished and protected, and everything she sees should be pure and flawless, without any gloom.
They had been chatting for almost twenty minutes when Wan Hong noticed that the gazes around him had shifted from surprise and curiosity to jealousy and hostility. Some people's eyes were filled with naked murderous intent, almost without any attempt to conceal it.
After the observation period ends, I probably won't have an easy time.
When Lu Xuejin speaks to people, his eyes don't dart away or wander. Wan Hong can clearly see his reflection in his bluish iris. But his gaze isn't direct or unsettling; rather, it's like a light, drifting cloud.
Does the commander know that his way of looking at people can easily cause misunderstandings?
Perhaps it was the effects of those few drinks, but Wan Hong's thoughts began to drift and wander, and many ideas that he usually consciously suppressed surfaced all at once like soap bubbles. The alcohol made his eyes red, and in his slightly tipsy state, he looked at Lu Xuejin again. He noticed that the guide's eyes had somehow turned crimson. He touched his forehead, his brows furrowed slightly, and he looked at him with a somewhat blank expression.
The hidden scent lurking within him leaked out in wisps, like tangled threads floating before Wan Hong's eyes. The sentry tried his best to control himself, but he still lost control when the threads brushed against his cheek—
Wan Hong reached out and grabbed it.
boom!
An indescribable heat wave erupted suddenly and violently, as if an invisible fuse had been lit, and the air instantly became thick and scalding.
Wan Hong's throat bobbed violently, his eyes fixed on Lu Xuejin's fair neck, right there—beneath the warm skin lay surging blood vessels, with fragrant, soft glands distributed among them, now continuously emanating a scent, like some kind of summons, or perhaps a warning. Before his primal instincts were ignited by the flames of desire, driving him to unleash his raging lust, an unfamiliar term crashed into the sentinel's crumbling reason.
Combined heat!
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